Every Story Is A Love Story
by geminicastor
Summary: Ryou is the son of a royal priest, assigned to capture the people of Kul Elna as slaves for the royal Egyptians. When he captures Akefia and his sister, he is in for a surprise and maybe a chance to find what he's always wanted. Set in Ancient Egypt, based on Aida, there will be a character death, main pairing is gemshipping (or tendershipping) and there is one-sided atticshipping.
1. Fortune Favors The Brave

**Welcome to my newest Gemshipping story! This is based off of the musical Aida, so each chapter will have the title of a song.**

 **If you don't know the general story of Aida, then here is a huge thing. THERE WILL BE AT LEAST ONE CHARACTER DEATH. I won't say who, but there is definitely a character death (or two or three...)**

 **Here's my usual disclaimer for fics based off of other material: It's LOOSELY BASED. So if your favorite part of Aida is cut out or it ends differently, I'm not sorry! That's just how I decided it fit the characters better.**

 **Also, the characters I chose might seem a little odd at first, but trust me, it'll work! I've planned it all out! And I know the characters can get confusing, so I'll list them here for you!**

 **Akefia: This is season 5 Bakura, ok? Thats why I use the name Akefia. I know a lot of fans disagree with it, but I think it's less confusing for the Gemship if I use a completely different name instead of Bakura.**

 **Ryou: One of the royal priests son. In the beginning, he's going to be a little more uppity than usual.  
**

 **Mana: The current Pharaoh's best friend. The reason she plays such a large role in this story is because I wanted a royal, female Egyptian in this role and she's the best option. Not to mention, Atticshipping is kinda cute if you think about it.**

 **Marik: This is normal Marik, not Yami Marik. And he is actually going to be from Kul Elna in this story.**

 **Atem: Of course, is the current Pharaoh.**

 **Akila: OC! Akefia's sister.**

 **So here we go!**

* * *

 ** _Fortune Favors the Brave_**

A young child was walking through a museum, tightly gripping his mothers hand. He didn't want to come here in the first place, but as soon as they entered the ancient Egyptian section of the museum, he instantly became interested. There were large stones covered in hieroglyphics and several open caskets with mummies inside. Long sheets of beautiful silk and a stone tablet filled with golden items. But one thing caught his attention more than anything else.

In the center of the room was a large glass case with a wax figure inside. She was tan with lots of thick, dark brown hair and had regal eye makeup. But most importantly, she had the classic headdress of a royal pharaoh. The young boy stepped closer, reading the sign on her case. It was almost as if he could hear her voice reading it to him, her voice smooth and confident.

 _"Every story, new or ancient_  
 _Bagatelle or work of art_  
 _All are tales of human failing_  
 _All are tales of love at heart."_

 _-Pharaoh Mana_

 _3000 Years Earlier_

 _This is easy to believe_  
 _When distant places call to me_  
 _It's harder from the palace yard_  
 _Fortune favors the free_  
 _Fortune favors the young_  
 _Fortune favors the brave_

For the past few years, the royal Egyptians had taken it upon themselves to travel down the Nile, and when they found the town of Kul Elna, they decided that they would capture them and keep them as slaves. Kul Elna was seen as a town of thieves and murders, so the royals believed that they were saving the thieves by taking them. But what they didn't see was the way that the royal guards went about the kidnapping. When the people fought back to save those that were being taken, the royal guards killed their men and raped their women, burning the houses down to the ground.

And Akefia was sick of it. When the town got burned down, he took the few remaining people and went to a hideout, hoping they wouldn't be found before they could form a plan. Unfortunately, the hideout was far from the Nile, and they needed to get more water sooner or later. It had been months since they arrived at the hideout, and the supplies were running low.

So Akefia decided he would be the one to go. It was his responsibility, since he chose the hideout, so he would be the one to go. Besides, he was quick and very good at hiding. If he went by himself, he should be back in no time. He did this several times a week, being careful.

What he didn't account for was Akila following him one day. Akila was his younger sister, the one he was doing everything to protect. He told her to stay back and stay hidden, but of course, she didn't listen. Being only 16, she felt like she had a mind of her own and should be allowed to assist her older brother.

Akefia was very down on the other side of the river, his red coat pulled up over his head so the sun would not reflect off of his blinding white hair. He could see the royal guards camp across the river, that way he could make sure they weren't out on a scouting mission. He crept really close to the ground, trying to stay out of the view of the guards. When he reached the rivers bank, he dropped the sack he was carrying and pulled out the 7 jugs he'd brought. They would be really heavy to carry back, but he knew that they would all need as much water as possible.

He was filling up the 4th jug when he heard a startling scream, and he recognized the voice of his sister instantly.

"Kefi! Kefi, help me!"

Normally, a person's first instinct would be anger, as he did tell her to stay put and she had disobeyed him, but Akefia only felt fear. He'd lost so many people, there was no way he was going to lose the most important person to him. He dropped the jug and ran as quickly as he could towards the sounds of Akila's screaming, drawing his cheaply made sword as he went.

He reached the group of royal guards and saw that there were seven. Two of them were leading his sister away as she kicked and pulled, trying to get away. The others were laughing at her efforts, which pissed Akefia off more than anything. Seven was too many to fight off alone, but he had to try. He couldn't just leave his sister.

He leaped from his hiding place and launched himself towards the royal guards. He made no battle cry, as that only would've given away his intentions. He was hoping that these guards would still be drunk after celebrating their capture of Kul Elna, but when did fortune ever play out to his favor?

The first guard to notice him swiftly blocked his attack with his khepesh*, shoving at Akefia's sword hard enough to knock him off balance, but Akefia regrouped quickly. He struck back, knowing that the khepesh is best for slashing, so he blocked each slash of the royal guards attack and took him down easily. The second and third guards were reacting by then, both coming from each side. He was doing pretty well at defending himself against two people at once, that is, until one got to his face, slicing down across his eye. Akefia cried out in pain, grasping his face.

"Kefi!" Akila yelled, tears streaming down her face. She heavily regretted ever deciding to follow him in the first place. If she hadn't come, he wouldn't be hurt the way he was now. Akefia couldn't see very well, so it was fairly easy to take him down.

"What the hell is going on over here?" a man called from the banks of the river. He'd taken a small boat and crossed to where he could hear the commotion coming from. Akila looked at him, stunned. She'd never seen someone so pale, although the royal Egyptians always did seem slightly paler when compared to the rest of the poorer towns. But this man was as pale as his hair, which matched her own white hair in comparison. He had tied his up out of his face, however, with a red ribbon that matched the bright red vest he had on. She'd never seen anyone like this before.

The guards pulled Akefia's sword away from him, and one pulled a piece of rope out of his garb to tie up Akefia's hands before he could do anymore damage.

"Just two others captured, sir," a guard replied, motioning to Akila and her brother. "We'll put them with the others."

"Yes," the man said. "Be quick about it and put a bandage on his face. We're setting off soon." This person seemed to be in charge, Akila thought, as she was roughly lead towards the small boats that sat on the banks. For a second, she thought that his white hair meant he was one of them, come to rescue her and her brother, but apparently not. The royals are nothing but scum.

Ryou was standing at the front of the longboat. They had just finished building their first wooden boat in Egypt and he was directed to lead it down the Nile. It was an honor to be chosen by the Pharaoh to lead his royal guards, but of course the Pharaoh was a family friend, so it wasn't an unexpected choice. He was good at his job anyways, charting and leading. He never went to join the action of the fighting though, as the Pharaoh demanded he stay safely in the tents during the raids on the towns such as Kul Elna. The people of Kul Elna were so violent, the Pharaoh wanted to protect Ryou, for whatever reason.

From where he stood, Ryou could see the docks approaching quickly. The guards were rowing the boat while the slaves they had captured during this particular raid were sitting in the back, bags over their heads. As soon as they docked, they would be put to work, carrying the supplies off of the boat and into town where they would be assigned jobs within the palace and beyond her gates.

While Ryou was lost in thought, the guards had started moving the slaves. As soon as the bag was removed from their heads, one of them jumped up, kicking a soldier swiftly at the knee. The guard fell to the ground, yelling obscenities while the other guards quickly brought down the slave that had caused the scene.

Ryou was amused at this. It was the one who had a bandage wrapped around half of his face, making him half blind. The slave was practically within the gates of the palace already. Where did he think he was going to run to?

SPLASH!

Ryou's head turned towards the opposite side of the boat where the splash had sounded. One of the captured slaves was trying to escape! The man had just been a diversion for her!

"Get her!" a guard yelled. "Don't let her escape!" She didn't make it far before one of the smaller boats that was following behind us snatched her up out of the water. Ryou glanced back at the man who had originally kicked the guard and the look of anger on his face was rather terrifying. How long had he been planning this? And why would he want to help her escape so much, even at the risk of his own safety. He could've been killed.

"Sir, we're docking," a guard called, saluting against his chest.

"Thank you," Ryou nodded. "Make sure you secure all of the slaves together and have them carry those boxes. But leave that one that attacked Nebka behind. I'll deal with him." Ryou thought he was being quiet, but the man that was still glaring angrily looked up, narrowing his eyes at Ryou.

"Alright. Be careful, sir. He's pretty big."

"I can handle him."

After they attached the wooden boat to the posts, the guards started leading the others away, leaving the still angry slave on the ship with Ryou. He refused to stand up as Ryou got closer to him, because that would insinuate respect. Ryou, instead, sat down in front of him and held up his foot.

"Wash my feet for me," he said. The man appeared to be taken back at first, but his face settled in an angry expression again.

"Well I can't do much with these ropes on, now can I?" he huffed, holding up his hands which were still tightly tied together. Ryou wasn't surprised to hear how deep and gruff the man's voice was. It showed years of living in harsh conditions, while Ryou had grown up within a palace yard.

"You expect me to take off your binds?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but do you really expect me to wash your feet?" It sounded like he was making a joke, but he still showed such fury in his eye. Ryou had watched him as the others were lead away and he never stopped looking at that girl that had tried to escape.

"Well, I didn't expect you to be happy about it."

"Let me put this in a way you will understand, palace boy," the man said, standing up suddenly. He towered over Ryou, who stood up as well, crossing his arms. " _You know nothing about us! You take our town and our people. You've bled us dry of everything! But the thing you really long for is our spirit. And that, you will never possess!_"

The man started walking away after his little speech to follow the others, not even caring to try to escape. He must really care about that girl.

"Wait!" Ryou called. "Listen to me."

"What could you have to say that I would find important?" he asked, cynically, but not turning to face me.

"The other slaves, along with that girl that was captured with you," Ryou said, knowing that would catch the man's attention. "They will probably end up in the copper mines."

"What?" he asked, fear suddenly breaking through his anger as he faced his captor. "They'll die down there!"

"That's why the send the slaves," Ryou shrugged. It was true. When mining copper, you would often breathe it in and get sick. It caused a slow, painful death where you would get nausea, vomiting, and more, worse symptoms until death carried you away. And at that point, you were glad to go.

"You can't do this! Send me instead! Please!"

This certainly was a change of pace. The man who was so strong in his defiance was now begging. Begging for his own death no less.

"I can have them put somewhere safe instead. But I ask 3 things from you first," Ryou said, knowing that he had the upper hand here. The man's anger was back now.

"What do you want?" he nearly growled out.

"Firstly, you will accept the job I have chosen for you, no complaints. And I don't think you will like it either." Ryou was ready to convince him to accept, but he found that he didn't have to. Despite the man's fury, he nodded, listening intently.

"What else?"

"Second, what's your name? If I'm going to make sure you're in the place I want you, I'll need your name to give to the guards. Not mention I will have to call a healer for your eye." Again, he gave in a lot easier than I thought he would. Names are very important in Egyptian culture, so I really expected him to deny this request.

"It's Akefia. What's the last thing?"

Ryou thought back to hearing the commotion on the banks and coming to find the two being captured. He suddenly remembered what the girl had been calling and his final question was answered.

" _Kefi! Kefi, help me!_ "

But he had to confirm his fears.

"That girl, is she your sister?" Again, he answered immediately, ready to protect her at all cost and not even hesitating to do so.

"Yes. Now put her in a safe place and let me know where I am to be assigned...sir."

Ryou could hear the cynical poison dripping from Akefia's voice as he left the boat. But Ryou wasn't thinking about that, and he didn't even question whether Akefia was actually going to follow the other slaves. He knew that he would go and he knew that Akefia wouldn't abandon his sister. Just like...

"Amane..."

* * *

A khepesh: The "pharaoh's sword". It is kind of shaped like a sickle. It's really pretty cool and good for slashing and chopping instead of jabbing.


	2. How I Know You

**Welcome to chapter 2! I know things can get confusing, so let me know if you have any questions and I'll get to them asap. And remember! Comments keep me writing faster, because if you don't know me...I write really slowly the majority of the time.**

 **This chapter is a lot of Mana meeting our little Kefi because they're really awkward! Akefia has no idea how to act around her and he's just trying to protect Akila! QuQ**

 **Also, side note...I know Thief King Baku isn't really that tall, in fact he's only an inch taller than me, but let's ignore that! It's important for the story that he be tall!**

 **Here we go!**

* * *

 _ **How I Know You**_

 _Egyptians in the courtyard, my family in chains._  
 _You witnessed our abduction, which possibly explains_

 _How I know you._

Ryou was slow to leaving the boat, but he knew that he had to leave his memories behind him and keep moving. The slaves would be sent to the copper mines soon and he had to stop them, since Akefia had given in so easily, despite his pride. The girls would be fine in the palace as maid servants and the men would be put to work in the fields around the palace, supplying food to the royal family. But not Akefia. No, Ryou had a different plan for him.

"My son!" A voice called from right inside the palace gates. Ryou was getting closer, but he could guess who it was before he got there.

"Hello, father," he said, not sounding nearly as excited as his father had. He longed to get back on the boat and continue exploring down the Nile. Every time they came back to the palace, he found himself wishing he was further away than ever. Inside the palace, he was held still, forced into fancy clothes and fancy parties. He wanted to be free to roam the world.

"How many slaves did you bring us this time? We will need some big strong ones soon," the man said, a curt and friendly smile on his face. The smile did not reach his eyes however, as he lead Ryou inside the castle. Two of his guards were following him, as the royal priests needed protection the majority of the time. It was a dangerous world and the slaves could try to escape and take the priests as prisoners.

"A few women for the palace maids and a few men for the fields," Ryou answered. "I was on my way to assign them, as I have specific places I want them put. So if you'll excuse me-"

"Hold on, son," the man said, grabbing Ryou's wrist before he could walk away. When Ryou turned back to the shell of a man that was his father, the man's eyes were narrowed dangerously. He pulled his son close, so he could whisper. "Listen. I know you, and I know you want to return to your boat as soon as possible. But not this time."

"What do you mean, father?" Ryou asked, his attention caught. Usually he only spent a few days in the palace before they asked him to bring back more slaves and more riches that the Nile brought to them.

"The Pharaoh has fallen ill."

"What!" Ryou all but yelled.

"Hush!" his father chastised. "You are not leaving again. Any time now, the Pharaoh will succumb to his illness and you will need to be here to take his place."

"Not this again," Ryou sighed. Ever since he was born, his father had been grooming him to become the next in line. The Pharaoh had no children, as he was pretty young to take the throne. He had chosen his childhood best friend to take his place, should anything happen. That childhood best friend just happened to be the one that Ryou's father had arranged for him to marry.

"It's time to grow up, Ryou, and stop living that fantasy. They've already started building the Pharaoh's pyramid. That's how close he is to death. I've been setting this up for you ever since you were young and you will not ruin it now. Ever since your mother and Amane di-"

"Don't say that name!" Ryou interrupted. He'd already thought about them too much today, he didn't need another reminder. He yanked his hand out of his fathers grasp and began walking away briskly. "I need to go attend to the slaves."

"I _will_ see you at the feast tonight!" his father replied, his voice daring Ryou to refuse. Of course, he knew he couldn't. But first, the slaves.

"Kefi! Kefi, let me look at your eye!"

Akefia barely had time to reach the other slaves when his sister saw him coming and ran to check his bandages. The bleeding had stopped long ago, but the bandages were probably still a mess. He dreaded the time where they would painfully remove them so he would be able to work properly. Removing bloodstained bandages could hurt just as much as the injury that caused them.

"I'm fine, Akila. They'll send me to a healer soon so I'll be able to work." He didn't want her to worry about him as much as he worried about her. Everybody that knew him knew how tough he acted, but he acted that way because he needed to protect her. They watched as their father got carted away by the guards months ago, and now they were in the same situation. And if anyone found out that they-

"Attention!" a royal guard called. "Your placements are in order."

Akefia felt his heart stop. Had that man kept his promise? If the others got sent to the mines, he didn't know what he would do. His temper was famous for being easily prodded.

"You've all been assigned palace duty by the head of the guards, Ryou Bakura. The women will be inside working as maids for tonight's feast and the men will be in the fields. Akefia is to report to the healers cabin with me and the others will be split into groups now."

Akefia breathed a heavy sigh of relief. At least they would be safe for now. He turned to his sister, bending down so he could look her in the eyes, despite the bandage still covering half of his face.

"Listen, Akila. Do what they tell you. Don't try to act tough in front of them," he said, his voice low.

"I should be telling you the same thing," she huffed.

"I'm serious! And please, please Akila! Don't let them find out who you are! Promise me!" When he said that, he saw tears start to prick at the sides of her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Kefi! I didn't mean for this to happen!" He pulled her into a tight hug, something he never did for anyone else, and shushed her.

"It isn't your fault. It's theirs," he hissed. "Be strong, but do what they say. Remember what I told you."

And he let her go, heading towards the guard who was supposed to lead him to the healers chamber. Akefia could hear his sister and the other villagers calling their goodbyes to him, sounding sad. He prayed to all of the gods in his head that they would keep their mouths shut and not reveal their secret. Their lives depended on it. As he walked, he noticed that he was at least a head taller than all of the guards he could see, something he found odd. Did they not have any taller men here?

He found his mind wandering back to the head of the guards. Ryou Bakura, that man had said. He was much shorter than Akefia was, but that didn't seem to intimidate him at all. Perhaps he has friends in high places that got him the job of annihilating whole towns.

"I'll take it from here, thank you."

Akefia had gotten lost in his thoughts when he heard another person. He looked up and saw that the guard was walking away, leaving him with the person who had spoke. His skin was almost as dark as Akefia's and the other villagers and his hair was a sandy blonde, laying at his shoulders in length. But the oddest thing was the way he was staring at Akefia, as if he was trying to convince himself that he wasn't really there.

"The healers, right?" he finally asked, cocking his head to the side. Akefia merely nodded. "Alright, follow me. Quickly now." It was strange to be rushed around by this person, who was looking around him almost frantically. When there were no others around, he motioned towards a door and hurried inside, shutting it behind them and locking the door.

"What the hell-"

"Akefia? Is that really you?" he asked, hushed. Akefia was stunned. Someone here knew him? But if he knew his name already, then he probably already knew who exactly he was!

"Who are you?" Akefia demanded, standing at his full height. The other was not too much shorter than him, but Akefia still intended to startle him.

"I grew up in Kul Elna, like you," he explained. "In fact, I had a good life there. You see, my father worked as adviser for the king of Kul Elna, _which probably explains how I know you._ " Pictures started coming together in Akefia's mind and he realized that this person did know who he was.

"You know too much, and it's better if you didn't know me. I'm merely a slave now, just like the rest of you," Akefia warned, narrowing his eyes.

"I refuse to believe that!" the stranger exclaimed, still in a whispered tone. "I could never abandon that hope for freedom. And I don't think you've abandoned hope either."

"My only hope is silence. You can see what they've done to me already," Akefia sighed, gently rubbing against the bandages on his face. "Imagine what they would do to me if they found out. You've never seen me before."

"But you are our prince!" he said, kneeling suddenly. Akefia quickly pulled him to his feet and shook his shoulders angrily.

"They can NOT find out!" he said. "Akila is here as well. She can not be put into danger. Now take me to the healers so I can get to work. I am a _slave_ now."

"Yes," the man said, looking highly dejected. "My name is Marik. I work in the palace as Ryou's personal servant, but I've learned the tricks of the royals and I have figured out how to get the things I want. I've become a bit of a helper with the others from Kul Elna. I'm able to get the good medicines and foods when things are scarce in our camp behind the palace."

"You've been taking care of our people?" Akefia asked, intrigued. Marik nodded. "Good. Thank you. But don't tell anyone that I am here, and that's an order."

"Yes, sir," he replied.

"Don't call me that," Akefia frowned. "Now let's go."

An hour later, Akefia was cleared by the healers. His bandages had been removed and they placed a heavy amount of herbs over the cut. He could still see, thank the gods, but they said a dark scar would be across his cheek for the rest of his life. He didn't care much about that, but the cut still hurt like nothing else. A knock on the door sounded and the healers opened it. There stood Marik and the head of the royal guards, Ryou.

He had changed into more regal attire, a nice undershirt beneath his red vest, and his hair was let down in long strands past his shoulders. Marik seemed to be looking over Akefia with a worried expression, noticing the deepness of the scar now that the bandages were removed.

"Are you ready for your task?" Ryou asked, stepping forward to examine the herbs that were chosen to heal Akefia's cut. "Your sister and the others have been shown to the slaves encampment and are preparing for tonight's feast."

Akefia stood up, not even wincing even though his eye still stung.

"Where am I going?"

"You have a very important job, actually," Ryou smiled. Akefia could've been fooled by that smile, but this person was a royal Egyptian, and Akefia would not be fooled. "Follow me. Marik, you're free to go."

"Thank you, sir," Marik bowed. He nodded towards Akefia, eyes showing that he intended his true respect to be for him. Akefia betrayed no emotion.

"Come now, quickly," Ryou said, heading off towards a set of stairs. "There's much to do before the feast tonight and you have someone to meet."

"What do you mean?" Akefia asked, getting suspicious.

"I'm assigning you as a bodyguard," he said, with no room to argue. "You may have noticed that you're a bit taller than the majority of the guards here. Not to mention you're pretty, uh, muscular as well. There's someone pretty important to me that I need you to protect."

"You're putting a slave, someone who is at war with your people, in charge of an important persons safety?" Akefia found himself laughing loudly, but Ryou just watched, smugly. Finally after Akefia had calmed down enough to glare at his captor, Ryou spoke.

"I wouldn't laugh too much. My plan was well thought out," he said. "After all, I do have control of your sister."

"Royals will stoop to any level, won't they?" Akefia growled. "Who am I supposed to babysit for you?"

"Come with me," Ryou said, motioning towards the door they were heading towards and trying to ignore the ache in his heart. If anyone should know the pain of ones sister being on the line, it was him. Regardless, he knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a sing song voice called out from inside. Akefia frowned heavily. A girl? They wanted him to babysit some girl?

"It's me. I'm back from the Nile," Ryou replied. Before he could even finish the sentence, the door slammed open and a blur rushed out and threw itself at the captain of the royal guard. They both ended up in a heap on the ground.

"Hmph. Perhaps you need a bodyguard," Akefia said, rolling his eyes. The blur that had rushed at the unsuspecting Ryou was a girl, looking to be about 18 years old. She wore fine clothing, silks and sheer, shimmery clothes. A headdress was over her long, spiky brown hair and she had bright, green eyes. She seemed so innocent.

"Ryou! I waited for you for, like, ever! You're finally back!" she exclaimed, grabbing Ryou in the tightest hug that Akefia thought he'd ever seen.

"I was only gone for a few days, Mana," he replied. "I brought you present." Akefia's anger was burning inside him. _A present? Is that what I am?_

That's when the girl noticed Akefia. She immediately leaped up, rushing to him, eyes wide.

"Wow! You're tall! What happened to your eye? Are you from Kul Elna? My names Mana!"

"Mana!" Ryou exclaimed, pulling her back to his side. "Calm down. He can't answer so many questions at once. But it doesn't really matter. He's here to protect you. Ever since Atem named you as his successor, I've been looking for the right guard and I think I've found one for you."

Akefia was speechless. This child was named the successor to royal Egypt? The next Pharaoh? And they wanted a prisoner of Kul Elna to protect her? He could feel his nails digging into his palms because his hands were so tense. This was insane. If he didn't have Akila to worry about, he could just do away with the both of them now, the captain of the royal guard and the next Pharaoh. Ryou pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Akefia, remember what I said earlier," Ryou said, with a warning in his eyes. "Your assignment is to stay with her at all times and protect her. With your life."

"Whatever you say," Akefia muttered, still staring angrily.

"Mana," Ryou said, turning towards the girl. Akefia expected that he would give her a warning or tell the girl about Akila so that she could use it against him, but he didn't. Ryou just handed her a small bag. "This is a pack of herbs. Put them on his eye every half hour until the feast. I'll see you there." Then, he kissed her on the cheek and rushed back down the stairs.

Akefia glanced back at the girl without turning his head. She was staring at him, still wide eyed. He really didn't know what to do in this situation. Stand around. Protect the girl. That's what Ryou had said, but now, she was just staring at him and waiting for him to do something. He finally just let out a sigh and touched the base of the scar on his cheek to make sure the herbs were still in place.

"So..." she said, breaking into a smile and opening her door. "Come on in, then!"

Akefia followed her inside, cautiously. He had no idea how to be a bodyguard. He'd had a bodyguard when he was younger, but once he got older, they found no need for it. Inside the room, a bed was centered and there was a large mirror with a table next to it. Fancy looking rugs and blankets covered the floor and a large window with open curtains showed a very nice view of the royal Egypt marketplace. And there were several other women either cleaning or laying out on blankets sewing and cleaning outfits, all hand maids who seemed to be relatively healthy and content. Some of them appeared to be royal Egyptians, but Akefia could see the Kul Elna in some of the slaves. He prayed that they would not recognize him.

"Ladies!" Mana called, cheerfully motioning towards Akefia. "This is...oh. What's your name again?"

"Um, Akefia," he said, still feeling extremely strange. He wasn't used to being inside such a nice place surrounded by fancy clothes and women. He felt like he wanted to run far away and hide out in a cave. As soon as he said his name, one of the villagers perked up, staring at him in wonder. Shit.

"Akefia!" Mana smiled. "This is Akefia and he's going to be watching out for me, ok?" A few of the women waved at him, smiling, but that one who heard his name definitely recognized him. Akefia looked at her, pursing his lips tightly. She looked around nervously and nodded silently. "Ok, girls! Now where were we?"

The girls chatted a bit, giggling and laughing among themselves. Akefia just leaned against the wall, wondering if anyone was actually planning on killing the girl just for being the Pharaoh's successor. Of course, he had thought about it mere moments before. He knew he wouldn't do it though. When he looked at the innocent girl, who had no idea how much blood was on the hands of her _Pharaoh_ , he couldn't help but see his sister. They were both so bubbly and innocent. The difference was that Mana grew up in a palace with rich clothing and Akila lived in the nicest hutch in Kul Elna, which wasn't actually that nice to be honest.

"Akefia," Mana said, appearing right in front of him suddenly. "I have to pick an outfit out for tonight. Will you help me?"

"What?" he asked, looking confused. He'd hoped that the girl would pretty much ignore him and leave him alone, but it didn't look like that was going to happen.

"You're a man, and I want to impress a man. So what should I wear?"

"Um, I'm not sure I really-"

"Come on!" she exclaimed, grabbing the taller mans hand and pulling him towards a door on the other side of the room. The women watched him, wondering how he was going to react. "This is my closet."

"Really," Akefia sighed. "I'm not the type of person to know about...clothes."

"But you know about women and what makes them look good," she said, putting her hands on her hips. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he didn't really know about women, so he nodded, face surely turning red. "Great! So I want to look regal, but tasteful. I want to turn heads!"

"Why not try turning heads with conversation?" he mused.

"Oh dear, Akefia! Conversation? Wit? I doubt that will do much in the world of royalty," Mana chuckled. A few of the hand maids chuckled as well. "Forget the inside. These days, the packaging is what catches peoples attention. And as the future Pharaoh, I need to turn heads." Akefia was trying his best to keep a straight face, but his eye was twitching in annoyance. While his people suffered, there were royals purely concerned with their clothing. And these are the people they want to rule Egypt?

"What's your favorite color, Akefia?" Mana said, walking into her huge closet. The walls were lined with linens and cloths. Wraps and shawls. Shoes and jewelry.

"Um, red," Akefia replied. He remembered his own red coat, probably laying somewhere on the banks of the Nile long forgotten. Mana walked over to red section of her closet, pulling clothes aside and trying to find something that fit her idea of "turning heads".

"Ok! Red is a good color!" Mana called out from in her closet, excitedly. "Should I do sheer and flowy or solid and tight fitting?"

"Please ask someone else," Akefia sighed, rubbing his temple in annoyance. He accidentally touched the side of the cut and hissed out in pain. The herbs must have dried out already, and soon as he realized it, the cut began to burn immensely.

"Oh! Does your eye hurt?" Mana asked, instantly dropping the dress she was holding and racing to see him. "Here! Let me get the bag Ryou gave me! Hold on!"

"I'm fine," he hissed, trying not to wince. The other girls were glancing at him curiously, but he just glared at them and they turned away, back to their work.

"Sit down here so I can reach your eye better," Mana said, pointing to the chair next to her table.

"I can do it myself you know," Akefia sighed. "Just give me the bag and go back to looking for your dress or whatever."

"No! I'll put them on since I can see your cut and I know where the herbs should be placed," she insisted. Akefia was reminded of the countless times Akila insisted on helping him, and out of nostalgia, he found himself sitting down. Maybe it was because he missed his sister and was wondering if she was truly ok. He was pulled out of his thoughts when she gently tapped a bit of the medicine on the base of the cut.

"Ah! Gentle!" he huffed.

"For a big, strong guy, you have a low pain tolerance don't you," Mana chuckled, tapping a little more in the same spot before moving upwards. "So, are you going to tell me what happened?"

"You don't want to hear it," Akefia sighed, gritting his teeth.

"I do," she said, then she paused. "This one might hurt more. This part is deeper than the other parts of the cut."

"I'll tell you another time, not befo- Ow!"

"I told you it would hurt more," Mana chuckled before closing the bag. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But I can take it. I may seem like an airhead, trust me, I know what everyone says about me behind my back. But there's a reason Atem chose me."

With that, she pranced off to her closet again, leaving the bag of herbs next to Akefia on the table. He picked it up, shoving it into his pocket, and stood up to go back to the spot on the wall he'd chosen to think about what she'd said. She could take it? She could take hearing about how her people had kidnapped his people, killing as they went? She could take hearing about how his sister, who was even younger than she, was kidnapped just because she was from a different part of the land?

 _What a day..._


	3. Enchantment Passing Through

**Welcome to chapter 3! I know the story is moving a little slowly, but this chapter was so hard to write! I'm doing my best, but it's difficult to portray the emotions from these scenes...I'm working on it!  
**

 **This is not proof read, so I'm sorry if there are typos! QuQ**

 **Don't forget to review, please!**

* * *

 _ **Enchantment Passing Through  
**_

 _There'd be no ties of time and space to me_

 _And no horizon I could not pursue._

 _I'd leave the world's misfortunes far behind me_

 _I'd put my faith and trust in something new._

 _But why should I tell you this?_

 _A stranger I just met._

 _A person whom I hardly know at all and should forget._

 _A journey we can only dream of._

 _Enchantment passing through._

 _And how is it I say these things so easily to you?_

* * *

"Come on, Akefia! Please!" Mana exclaimed, holding up a sparkly red vest. "Please, please, please!"

"No! I'll just wear what I'm wearing now," Akefia sighed, his headache really getting worse. "I'll just be standing against the wall the whole time anyways."

"But it'll look so good on you! You said you like red!" Mana whined.

"No sparkles. I'll just wear this," Akefia repeated, motioning to his brown, slave clothes.

They had been arguing about this for the past hour, after Mana had forced him to get a bath so his face and hair would be clean for the feast. During their argument, they had to stop to reapply the herbs once, before continuing the argument. Akefia was willing to babysit the girl to protect his sister, but when she insisted he wear the sparkly, red vest to match her dress, he drew the line. Besides, she didn't know about Akila so she couldn't use that against him.

"No sparkles? Fine! How about this really nice, silk black dress shirt? And then this red sash over top?" she said, pulling out another outfit from her massive closet. "Please, please, please, please, ple-"

"Fine, fine!" Akefia grimaced. He had known Akila to argue like this before. It was when she wanted to keep one of the chickens alive, she'd named it already, and she only stopped whining about it when their father had given in and let her keep the chicken. So Akefia gave in, slipping the dress shirt on over top of his slave garb, and allowed a hand maid to tie the sash around his waist. At least it wasn't sparkles...

"Perfect! Now if we brush your hair-"

"I'm supposed to be your guard, not your toy," he sighed.

A knock sounded, interrupting Mana's next attempt to get Akefia to act as her dress up doll.

"Princess!" someone called from outside. "It's time to go downstairs to the feast."

"Drat! I hate when they call me that. I'm not a princess," Mana sighed, tossing the sparkly atrocity to a hand maid. "Take the sparkles off of this please and give it to Akefia when we get back."

"Yes, ma'am," the girl smiled. They all truly seemed to enjoy working for Mana and it wasn't hard to see why. The girl's giggles and happy attitude was infectious. At least to the other women, where as Akefia found it mildly annoying.

Mana threw open the door, after checking her hair and headdress in the mirror one more time. Outside the door, Marik was waiting to escort them down to the feast. He glanced over at Akefia, trying not to be obvious, but was glad to see him still in one piece.

"Hey, Marik!" Mana called out, waving. Marik smiled at her, gesturing for her to walk ahead of him out of respect for her. She obliged, waving goodbye to the rest of the women. Marik stepped up next to Akefia as he followed behind his ward.

"At the feast, watch the Pharaoh's personal guard and do what he does. Ok?" he said, trying to be helpful. Akefia nodded, worried a bit now. "Have you been taking care of your eye?"

"If I so much as wince, she's on me in an instant to put more medicine on it," Akefia huffed, keeping a careful watch on the girl ahead of them.

"She's a good person at heart," Marik told him, chuckling lightly. "It's not her fault for what her people does and she hasn't ever left royal Egypt so she has no idea of what lies beyond the gates."

"But it's going to be her fault. She is going to inherit the people that killed my own people. Our people. And that's inexcusable."

They walked in silence until they reached the top of a staircase, and here is where Akefia got a shock.

"Close your mouth," Marik whispered. "You look strange."

The Pharaoh was there at the top of the stairs, waiting for Mana to arrive so they could walk down together. Akefia had heard that the Pharaoh's appearance was odd, to say the least, and that his hair was beyond your imagination. Well, that much was true, but the man who was causing his people's agony and pain, he appeared so...weak. His skin was an odd shade, as if he had trouble breathing and he seemed to be walking with a slight limp. His eyes were dull and he had bags, as if he hadn't slept in days. He truly looked awful. Mana raced to throw her arms around him, albeit gently.

"How are you feeling today, Atem?" she asked. Her voice was soft and full of concern, but Akefia hardly noticed. He was busy staring at the man who was the cause of his people's despair. This man who could stop everything with just a word. The man he expected to look so harsh and cold, but in truth, seemed to be dying right in front of his eyes.

"Calm down," Marik whispered, getting a little concerned. "You need to think about your sister." He was right, and that caused Akefia to try and stop his thinking about the Pharaoh. Watch Mana. Protect her. Protect Akila. That was all he allowed himself to think.

Protect Mana. Protect Akila.

Ryou had arrived to the feast earlier, like the majority of the guests. It was customary to arrive in time to stand up when the Pharaoh entered, so everyone was waiting. He'd been assigned to sit on the right hand of Mana, who would be sitting at Atem's right hand. Ryou's father would be sitting on the other side of the Pharaoh.

There were several slaves rushing around, carrying trays and cleaning spots of the room. One of the girls going back and forth from the kitchen to the guests, delivering small finger foods, was Akefia's sister. She seemed tired, and scared, but she smiled at each guest, even if they didn't return the sympathies. A lot of the guests even gave her dirty looks, despite her trying to kind. She reminded Ryou of Mana, and he found himself smiling to himself. No wonder Akefia cared about her so much.

Then, the drums sounded from the corner of the room, announcing the Pharaoh's entrance. Everyone in the room stood up, including Ryou, and waited again. Seconds later, the doors opened and revealed Mana and her best friend, Atem, the Pharaoh. Ryou sighed as he saw his childhood friend. He was looking a lot worse than the last time he'd seen him. His father was right, the Pharaoh really was dying.

Then, when the Pharaoh and Mana were about half way down the steps, Mana carefully helping him as they walked, the personal guards appeared, glancing around for any trouble. Ryou was a little surprised to see that Akefia had been bathed and had dressed up for the occasion. The black shirt really agreed with him, and the red was a nice compliment as well. Although he didn't seem to be the type to agree to a new outfit, but perhaps Mana had gotten on his nerve enough to convince him. Thinking about it made him chuckle.

"Ryou, you've returned," the Atem said, appearing next him and extending his hand. Ryou reached out, holding his friends hand while bowing out of respect.

"How are you, my Pharaoh?" he asked, looking up.

"I've seen better days, but I'm glad you're here," he smiled, no matter how weak his expression appeared. "I have an important announcement tonight, and you should be here to hear it." Ryou found himself grinding his teeth as he tried to smile back. One could guess what the announcement would be...

After the Pharaoh took his seat, Mana sat next to him and everyone else began taking their seats. Ryou could tell that the people at the feast already respected Mana just as much as Atem, waiting for her to sit before allowing themselves to sit as well. They watched her with reverence and he was proud of her, even if her sudden power over the people was coming from such despair.

The two guards stood a few steps behind their "masters" chairs, Atem's checking out every corner of the room and making sure he recognized everyone there. Akefia, however, appeared more uncomfortable. He had his arms crossed over his chest and next to the other guard, he appeared a hell of a lot more muscular. That's why he'd assigned him, Ryou thought to himself.

"Mana," Ryou said, leaning over to the girl. "How is his cut?" The food was starting to be brought around and the Pharaoh's taste tester was sampling each dish before it reached him.

"Akefia's?" she asked, glancing back at the man. "He likes to act like a tough guy, doesn't he? But it's ok. I took care of it just like you said."

"Good," Ryou smiled at her.

"Where did you find him?" she asked. Ryou froze. Mana didn't know much about the outside world. She new about the market place and how to find the pretty silks. She knew how to make people happy, even if they were slaves to her. She knew how to listen. But she didn't know about the war with Kul Elna. She didn't know that the people building her Pharaoh's pyramid were all being forced against their will, and a lot of them died from exhaustion. Atem sheltered her from that knowledge, but with his being sick...

People conversed, joyously talking about the most mundane things as they ate. Akefia appeared to be watching Mana and watching the rest of the room, but every time he saw his sister, Ryou noticed that his eyes would linger, sadly. Ryou pursed his lips and forced himself to look away. He was doing this for Mana's good, even if it hurt Akefia.

"Attention!" a guard called out after half an hour had passed. "The Pharaoh wishes to make an announcement." Instantly, the crowd quieted down, paying close attention as Atem attempted to stand up. Mana helped him, putting a hand on his arm.

"Thank you," Atem said, quietly to her. "You might be wondering why I called a feast tonight. My good friend Ryou has returned from his travels down the Nile and we are celebrating his return. But we also must come to terms with what is happening here. I'm sure you all know by now that I am not in the best of health." Ryou glanced at Mana who was biting her lip intently, trying to keep from crying. He knew how hard this was for her, witnessing someone as close as a brother as they die.

"I have already announced that Mana is to be my successor, but she is young, so she needs someone to share the burden. She has already been betrothed, but we've decided to move the marriage closer."

Ryou swallowed his protest, knowing it would do no good. He felt Mana's hand touch his as she smiled. He knew this was going to be the announcement, but hearing it out loud made it even more real. He could practically see his beautiful boat slipping through his fingers and traveling the Nile without him. Being married to the future Pharaoh would mean never leaving royal Egypt ever again. He would sit on a thrown, like a decoration for the Queen of Egypt, until he died.

He loved Mana, he'd grown up with her, but not enough to give up his freedom to serve the Egyptian people.

"Ryou, Mana. You will wed in 7 days. To a happy future." Atem raised his glass, smiling, and everyone followed suit. However, after everyone took a heavy sip of their respective drinks, the Pharaoh started letting out an angry cough that shook his whole body. Mana jumped up, taking his arm.

"Come on," she whispered. "That's enough excitement for one night. Let's get you to bed." The man nodded weakly, doing his best to hide the blood that had trickled from his lips. As the mood had suddenly shifted, the guests seemed to trickle out of the room fairly quickly and the plates were cleared from the table faster than usual. Akefia started to follow his ward as she led the Pharaoh back to the stairs, but Ryou called out to him instead.

"Wait, Akefia!" he exclaimed, leaving no room for argument. "The Pharaoh's guard can take them both. Let me see your eye."

Akefia looked at Mana, who nodded, smiling sadly. She probably wanted a minute alone with her childhood friend anyways. So Akefia turned back to his captor, eyes narrowed in suspicion. It was obvious that he didn't trust Ryou. He waited for the shorter to demand something else, but Ryou just waited until Mana and the Pharaoh had closed the door and they were alone.

"Come here," Ryou finally said, motioning toward a different door on the far side of the room.

"Why?" Akefia asked, frowning. "I thought you wanted to check my cut."

"Just come here! Trust me," Ryou said, rolling his eyes.

"You've given me no reason to do so," Akefia said, crossing his arms. He knew he really couldn't disobey, but his pride held him there.

"Oh for goodness sakes," Ryou huffed, stomping over to the door. He threw it open, revealing the hustle of the kitchen staff. "Akila! Come here!"

Akefia snapped to attention at the sound of her name, rushing to the door in an instant. At the same time, Akila appeared, seeming nervous at first. But as soon as she saw Akefia, her nerves cleared and she ran at him.

"Kefi!" she all but screamed, throwing her arms around his waist. "Your eye is ok! I could see it but I couldn't stop to talk to you! I didn't want to get in trouble, just like you said!"

Ryou stood in the corner, watching the reunion. Before the feast had started, he found the girl with the other servants, asked her for her name, and told her to stay near the door after the feast was over so she could have some alone time with her brother. Of course, they couldn't be completely alone.

He didn't know why he allowed this meeting, but in the back of his mind, he knew that his own sister would've wanted Akefia to be with Akila. Family had been important to Amane so she would've hated to see a family separated, even if they were just slaves. It had been about 5 minutes before Ryou decided it was time for each of them to go back to their posts and prepare for the next day. When night fell, the Egyptians all went to sleep pretty quickly to wait for Ra's return.

"I'll be fine, Akila," Akefia was saying. "They just said I would get a really dangerous looking scar. Pretty impressive, right?"

"Only you would be stupid enough to think a scar is impressive, Kefi," his sister scolded him.

"Akefia, it's time to go," Ryou interrupted them. Akila nodded quickly, remembering that her brother had told her to listen to what they told her to do so she could be safe.

"Thank you, sir," she said bowing to the royal Egyptian. "I am forever grateful to you for taking care of my brother's wounds." Ryou didn't believe her, since it was partially his fault that Akefia was injured in the first place, but he nodded.

"Akila, I said do what they say, not grovel at their feet," Akefia huffed, not able to rein in his rampant pride.

"Goodnight, Kefi," his sister said, getting up on the tip of her toes so she could kiss Akefia's cheek. He nodded, smiling at her, and she rushed back through the door to the kitchen, disappearing into the hustle. When the door closed, Ryou turned back to the slave.

"Ok, now sit down so I can actually check your eye," he said, pointing to a pillow on the floor next to the table. Akefia frowned, but complied, sitting cross legged on the pillow. It appeared to Ryou that Akefia saved his smiles purely for his sister and his frowns for everyone else. "Where is the bag?"

"Here," Akefia replied gruffly, pulling out the small pouch and handing it to Ryou. The pale man took note that the bag was getting empty and he would need a refill before tomorrow morning.

"Sit still," he commanded, beginning to gently pack the herbs on the cut.

"...thank you," Akefia suddenly said.

"Hm?" Ryou asked, thinking he had heard the slave incorrectly.

"Thank you for letting me see her," Akefia said, louder this time, but only slightly. Ryou didn't know how to reply to Akefia's sudden gratitude, so he changed the subject. Unfortunately, he didn't have much to talk about, so he brought up the first thing he could think of.

"It's been awhile since the feast started so your eye probably hurts a lot right now."

"You think I don't know that? One who is betrothed to the future _Pharaoh_ should be wiser." Akefia mused, clearly annoyed. Ryou stiffened at the mention of the announcement, eyes narrowing. "Oh? I seem to have hit a nerve. My apologies, _prince._ "

"Don't call me that. I am no prince. I'm just the Pharaoh's friend," Ryou said, still stiff with anger. "It was all my father's plan anyways. I have no say in the matter."

"You don't want to have the power of the Pharaoh?" Akefia asked, wincing slightly as the herbs stung against his skin. "Funny. I thought all of you royals scrambled for power."

"I'm not like that," Ryou insisted, putting the last of the herbs from the bag onto the cut. "I just want to sail on my boat and discover new places."

"New places like Kul Elna?" Akefia asked, harshly. It was clear he felt no pity for Ryou's dilemma, so Ryou suddenly decided he would try to make him understand.

"No. I want to discover new places. Far away," Ryou said, looking into the distance as if viewing a hidden world. "I want to see secrets that nobody has ever seen before. I want to see the enchantment on everyone's faces as I explain to them about the world beyond Egypt. The world nobody has ever seen."

"Well, I've seen that world," Akefia muttered, almost to himself. "When I was old enough, my father let me travel down the border of the Nile. I got pretty far sometimes and went way beyond, where there were no towns. No villages. No...royal guards. Places where humans haven't touched? They are the most beautiful. The most free."

"You should show me sometime," Ryou chuckled. "You could be my guide. A guide to the world nobody has ever seen...seems mysterious. And I wouldn't be stuck in this palace. This cage."

"You sound as if you are the one that's been enslaved," Akefia said, standing up so suddenly that he caused Ryou to jump back in alarm. He was clearly angry, but clearly thinking deeply as well. "If you don't like what is happening to you, then change it! You are your own master! So don't expect any pity from me, a lowly palace slave!"

With that, he turned and stormed up the stairs, not waiting to be dismissed.

Ryou was stunned, staring at him as he left. The outburst had been so sudden, but Ryou understood it. He understood it now more than he ever had. The slaves, held here against their wills, held away from the freedom of their homeland, and many of them led to death by exhaustion...he suddenly knew why they always seemed so defiant in their eyes, even when their bodies were forced to obey.

But why had he spoken so freely to Akefia? Why had he wanted Akefia to understand his pain? As if Akefia would ever be his guide to the mysterious world beyond the palace gates. None of that would ever happen.

Both of them were enslaved to Egypt after all.


End file.
